Infant support pads are generally known to the art. U.S. Pat. 4,631,766, for example, discloses an infant seat which is formed of a free standing pad adapted to support the infant in a generally supine position. The pad described in the patent presents a number of undulations which rise upwardly and downwardly relative to a horizontal reference plane passing through the pad. The pad described in the patent includes a downwardly-cupped, head-receiving cavity adjacent to a torso-engaging means. An upwardly raised, neck supporting cusp is located between the torso-engaging means and the head-receiving cavity, with the cavity, cusp and torso-engaging means preferably disposed along the central axis of the pad. The head-receiving cavity is arranged in a semi-spherical configuration for engaging the infants head over a concave area, the head-receiving cavity being designed to position the infants head in midline with the torso.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,779,930 discloses an infant head support for use with appropriate retaining devices. The head support of the '930 patent is formed of resilient foam, and it is configured to fit between the opposite side walls of an appropriate retaining device, with the head support being looped over the head of the infant and serving to wedge the head between the side walls of the retaining device.
The support pad of the present invention constitutes a distinct improvement over the prior art pads, including those discussed above. A prime objective of the present invention is to provide a infant support pad which is so constructed that the head of the infant is positioned directly in a cavity which is configured in a manner to be described so as to restrain the infant's head and neck from involuntary movement. The pad of the invention, in one of its embodiments, is configured to fit the infant's back down through the entirety of the torso holding the spine of the infant in line with the head and neck.
The pad of the invention, in one of the embodiments to be described, is provided with a slot for receiving the shoulder belt of an infant's safety seat. The pad in other embodiments may be constructed to have external dimensions appropriate to fit into standard strollers, high-chairs, and the like, to provide the infant with the desired improved support of the invention when so used.
The embodiment described briefly above is intended to support the infant in a generally upright position. A second embodiment to be described is a reclining version of the pad which is intended to be used in hospitals and clinics in conjunction, for example, with incubator and pediatric cribs in the neonatal, pediatrics and maternity areas.